


Of Lakesides and Lions

by internationalDolphin



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Explicit Language, Horror, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2019-11-15 17:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18077816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/internationalDolphin/pseuds/internationalDolphin
Summary: Months after camp has adjourned for the summer, David and Max move into a new home. What seemed to be a blessing at first is slowly turning into Max's worst nightmare. It appears they have an unwanted house guest.





	1. The Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Hi this is my first story on here and I don't really know how this website works yet, so sorry if things are tagged weird and stuff. If I fail to tag something, please let me know and I'll get on it ASAP (and I'll be tagging as I go) :) Enjoy!

Long car rides were, generally speaking, highly excruciating. The journey was usually bad enough, but the longest car rides were normally spent shuttling him to camp – whatever shitty camp his parents had found to dump him in for three months. Or taking him home. Those car rides were often filled with silent dread. Hours of heavy air, void of conversations. Nothing but the rumble of the car and the sound of whatever garbage was going in and out of the radio.

This car ride, however, had the boy resting his head against the passenger side window boredly, teeth clacking together as the car shook and bounced over the uneven road. The scenery flew past them, crossing his unimpressed expression at increasing speeds. The man driving was rarely one to go too far over the speed limit, but they’d been on the road for hours, having had to make several trips before they could actually start their road trip. There was technically another thirty minutes of driving ahead of them, but he was hoping to clear it in twenty. A heavy sigh from the boy in the passenger seat only briefly took his attention away from the road. He looked tired, stressed, and wasn’t particularly in the best mood to tend to the younger’s moodiness. Still, he waited a tick before he spoke, voice soft and lacking its normal enthusiasm.

“What’s wrong, Max?”

Max scowled and sighed, shifting in his seat for the tenth time in ten minutes. “I’m _bored_. When are we going get there?” He crossed his arms, making to irately jab at the buttons on the radio. The redhead in the driver’s seat sighed and rolled his shoulders and neck a little. He’d been awake since sun up, trying to get everything ready for their trip.

“We’ll be there soon. Just enjoy the ride.”

Max tossed his head back, not bothering to hide his frustration. “Enjoy what, David? The same fucking pine trees from the last hour of driving? My legs hurt. I want to walk around,” he said, angry voice bordering on whining. His complaints were met with pointed silence. David spared another glance at the other but didn’t meet his aggression with much else than acceptance. Max had been through quite a bit over the last few weeks and David figured he was just letting off some pent-up steam.

He truly hadn’t been kidding when he said his parents didn’t care. The memory of meeting them for the first time left a bad taste in David’s mouth. They’d been hours late in picking him up. It was already past sundown and neither counselor could get ahold of his parents. When they were on the verge of having to call police, they finally showed up and made a show about how inconvenient it was to have to pick him up in the first place. They didn’t seem to realize that other people could see them, or how they interacted with their son. Painful shoving and grabbing, screaming, and - the last straw for David -, openly slapping Max after an outburst from the boy. Max had alluded to this in passing after David and Gwen had taken him out to Pizza Bro’s, but didn’t seem completely willing to give details on what really went on at home.

That was all he needed to see. Authorities were called. Paperwork was filed. Weeks flew by as investigations proceeded. David was thankful for the connections he’d formed with Ered’s dads. As a sort of repayment for his help with Campbell and the Campwells, they’d pulled enough strings to help David get custody of Max. As much as he wanted to let go and let Max live his life, he knew firsthand how flawed the system was. He didn’t want Max to go to a home that could be worse. So, after extensive background checks, classes, papers (and papers, and papers), he was finally given custody of the boy as his adoptive father.

But the shoebox apartment he lived in wasn’t the best environment to be raising a child in. Purchasing a house wasn’t quite an option yet but renting seemed doable for now. He had a decent amount of money in his savings from the payout at the end of camp. And when it wasn’t in session, he usually taught a couple of classes at the local community college. His demeanor at camp might not have reflected it, but he had a couple biology degrees under his belt. His calling was clear, and he tried to channel his love of nature, teaching, and working with others into some Intro to Environmental Science classes. His salary was enough to live comfortably off of. With a few extra classes and maybe some summer sessions, he’d certainly be able to support Max just as well. Still, he’d taken on a few odd jobs in order to speed up the moving process and buy what he needed to at least furnish Max’s room. He couldn’t have the boy sleep on the couch forever.

Finding this place was a miracle in itself. He’d spent countless nights browsing the internet in search of an affordable place with at least two rooms, which was near enough David’s work and vaguely near a school for Max, and was within reasonable distance from some kind of grocery store. Sleepy Peak fell just below that bar. Driving for forty-five minutes one way wasn’t as much of an issue before, when he only had himself to take care of. It was certainly an issue when he had to consider the possibility of having to drive Max wherever he might need to go. He’d go wherever he had to if it meant making things easier in the long run.

The house he’d settled on was pretty drab and secluded. It was an older, slightly run down raised-porch cabin with two stories to it, a master bedroom downstairs, two bedrooms and a loft upstairs, and scattered bathrooms throughout. Homey and perhaps housing some rotting wood here and there, the cabin certainly stuck out, painted a slightly off blue against its forest surrounding. It was a much larger house than he’d lived in before. Best of all, rent was surprisingly cheap. The owner of the property seemed more than willing to haggle the price and down payment, and David would take whatever he could get. Upon seeing the house for the first time, he couldn’t imagine how he’d gotten so lucky with it. Sure, it was a little beat up and perhaps some of the paneling needed to be replaced, but it was spacious and quiet. He wasn’t sure if they’d be there forever, but it would be a comfortable start to their lives together.

And, as much of an eyesore as it was, it was a welcomed sight when David finally pulled into the gravel driveway. The mover’s truck was already there, and a small team was working to get his belongings inside. The cabin was going to be a bustling place until everything was moved in properly. He supposed it would do him well to let Max wander around until it was finished. Lest he get bored and try to mess with the men trying to do their job. Before Max could get out of the car, David locked the door, effectively trapping him for a moment.

“Max-“

“David, unlock the fucking door right now or I kick the window out.”

“Why don’t you walk around the forest for a while?”

“That’s a shitty idea, I want to go inside.”

“You can go inside when everyone else is gone. It’ll be more peaceful then.”

“Or I can go inside now and tell them to fuck off.”

“Max. Please. Just for a little while? Then we can go get food. And ice cream?” He certainly wasn’t above bribery. Their morning had been stressful enough, and he really wanted everything to go smoothly here.

There was a pause as the boy considered the offer. He squinted at David, his gaze burning holes into the man. David raised his eyebrows, waiting for some form of agreement. After a tense moment, Max sighed deeply and crossed his arms irately, “Fine. But I want pizza.”

“Sure. Pizza is fine.”

The locks clicked open and Max was free to roam as David got busy coordinating the movers. Max watched the other for a good second. Kicked some rocks around. By the time an excruciating ten minutes had passed, he found himself wandering around the property in a lame attempt at quashing his boredom.

It wasn’t a terribly large lot that the house sat on. Thankfully, they didn’t seem to have very many neighbors, so he probably wouldn’t run into much trouble even if he wandered off too far.

The further out past the property line that he walked made him realize just how lonely it was out here. There weren’t any other houses or cabins within viewing distance of the home. While it would be nice for having peace and quiet, it meant being stuck with David and only David for who knew how long. At least at camp there were other people around to occupy their time. Max had a feeling they would grow to get tired of each other very, very fast.

He continued down through the knee-high grass of the forest, slowly leaving the bustle of the property. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, it was kind of nice out. His jacket was tied around his waist, giving him a moment of reprieve from the heat around him. The late October weather was hesitant to lend itself to the cold just yet, and after months of suffering through the majority of the warm summer with it on, he figured he could give himself a break. His sneakers crunched down bunches of weeds and drying-out plants as he trekked down the slight incline behind the cabin. It fed into a small patch of gravel that turned into a beaten path. Perhaps the previous owners liked to go down this way for hikes. Max followed along the path, listening to the sound of his footsteps crunching, mixing with the ambience of the forest. Birds chirped happily around him, and distantly he could hear the rustle of wildlife just out of his sightline.

He continued down this way for some time. Until the cabin was nothing more than a blue smear between leaves and branches behind him. The dense trees were generous with the shade they provided. It had been a brutally sunny day, and the slight breeze and relief from direct sunlight was welcome. With no one around, he could almost allow himself to appreciate the moment. As much as he hated to admit it, being out and alone in the midst of nature could sometimes maybe be a little relaxing. He let out a content sigh, shoulders losing some of their tension as he lost himself more into the trail. The ground under him was a bit soft, giving way easily under his light footsteps. The soil was loosely packed and looked as though it had recently been rained on. It made his footprints easy to follow. Just like it made the set of much larger footprints easy to spot all the same.

It took him a moment to notice them at first. They were large. Perhaps about as large as David’s. Clearly from some kind of hiking boots. And they appeared to be going in the direction of their cabin. For some reason, it sent a bit of a shiver up Max’s spine. With how secluded their home was, he couldn’t really imagine who’d be walking up to it. He didn’t want to, honestly.

After a moment of anxiously looking around, he headed back to the cabin.  For the next couple hours, he allowed himself to stay mostly out of the way of the movers, instead taking to jeering David occasionally. By the time everything was all set up, the footsteps had been brushed off. It was probably from David checking out the house. Or the landlord. Or a neighbor? Who knew?

But it was probably just nothing, right?


	2. Settling

The cabin seemed to sigh in its newfound emptiness, allowing the space around it to find peace again once the activity around it had ceased. The movers were gone, their belongings were generally dispersed in the right places, and Max was finally given permission to explore the house.

It was much larger than it looked on the outside. The master bedroom was rather large, and it echoed and groaned with his footsteps as he wandered around it. There was a regular window against one wall, and a bay window facing the south. David’s bed was already built in the room, though it lay bare, mattress propped up against the wall next to the frame. It looked dwarfed by its surroundings. A lonely twin in a large room. Max was bored of it almost immediately.

The living room was hardly in any better shape. There was a good layer of dust and dirt lining the entrance that led into it. A set of stairs divided the tiny hallway between the master bedroom and the TV room. The living area was scantly decorated, with an old box TV sitting on the floor and some old furniture from David’s apartment. Really, all he had was a love seat and an armchair that looked like it’d been through several world wars. A barren fireplace sat along the eastern wall, void of anything beyond some scattered ash within the firebox.

  
The kitchen was just as small, with just enough extra space for a decent sized table. There was an old fridge that came with the house. Getting within a few feet of it was a mistake. Max had a feeling some kind of critter had gotten into it. It smelled like something had long since rotted in it. That’d be David's problem as soon as Max could be bothered to bring it up to him.

  
Exploring the top level brought up nothing really of interest. There were a couple of bedrooms facing each other in a tiny hallway. One was a bit larger than the other, and Max would claim that one as his own. On the other side of the hall was a cozy loft area, with railing that dropped off to a view of the living area below. Most of Max’s belongings were stacked up at the top of the stairs, and he got to work painstakingly shoving them in the right direction.

  
There wasn’t too much he had with him. A small selection of clothes, some personal belongings (read: a minute collection of stuffed animals, mostly from David), some blankets and pillows. His furniture had arrived in a series of Ikea boxes. Things that would have to be built later. He had no intention of helping.

Dinner was entirely uneventful. David drove them to a nearby pizzeria and treated Max to the shabby in-house ice cream, straight from the chugging soft-serve machine. As much as he wanted to point out how unsanitary it probably was, he still scarfed down the treat without question.

  
By the time they returned to their new home, there was just enough time left in the day to try and get Max’s bed all set up. Plan B was to just have him sleep on the bare mattress, but David would try and avoid that if possible. In true New Father-ly fashion, David did his best to try and assemble it in a timely manner. After slamming the hammer down on his thumb for the fourth time, he debated maybe calling Gwen to help. But he persisted, occupying Max with whatever was playing on the basic TV channels. He managed to tear him away from it before the late night public access came on, thank goodness. The room was still a little dank, but David had gone the extra mile of making sure his sheets and blanket were already on the bed, with Max’s not so secret stash of stuffed animals waiting for him in the covers. The little act of kindness had the boy pausing, processing slowly what he was seeing. He had no snide remarks. No insults about the craftsmanship. He felt sort of weird about it all. Moved, yes, but maybe not as much as he should be. With a sigh and a roll of his eyes in a lame effort to push the status quo, he made to hop on the bed. He began to absent rummage around for Mr. Honeynuts, voice bored and maybe a little conceding.

  
“Thanks, David. Looks great.”

  
The redhead's eyes lit up immediately. Right as Max’s hand closed around Mr. Honeynuts’ arm, he was being scooped into a hug. His sigh was a little more genuine this time.

 

  
“Oh, Max, I’m glad you like it! Maybe later we can go shopping for decorations! No son of mine is going to live in a bare-“

  
“I’m not your son, David,” Max cut in, voice sharp and offended. David paused.

  
“Oh, um. I know that, Max, but I’m your guardian now and-“

  
“Doesn’t fucking matter. I’m not your son. Don’t call me that. And put me down, I want to go to bed.”

  
There was a tense moment, where David considered this in earnest. It was his turn to sigh at Max. But he set him down, ruffled his hair halfheartedly, and wished him a good night. Max watched him go and and frowned at the mostly closed the door David had left behind him. And he was instantly hit with a brick of mucky, unsure guilt. He wasn’t wrong. David certainly wasn’t his dad. He cursed and made to lay down in his bed, deflating into it a little.

  
—

  
As soon as he had a moment alone, he sagged. A heavy sigh slackened his shoulders and attempted to loosen the tension in his shoulders, though that was a fleeting effort. David ran a hand through his sweat-matted hair and allowed himself a grounding moment to decompress. He assured himself that the stress of moving would be over soon. This would be a home more than a house with enough hard work.

  
The small reminder that he was in a house - with indoor plumbing, no less - had his thoughts wandering towards the luxury of a shower. There was still more unpacking to be done, but surely it could wait until tomorrow. David made his way downstairs, pausing about halfway down to respond to a message from Gwen. Upon stepping into his bedroom, however, he felt a spear of ice in his gut.

  
Much like he’d done for Max, his bed was completely unpacked and made. The sheets had been taken out of his bags, tucked neatly into the mattress. David tried to assure himself that there was a reasonable explanation for this. He’d asked the movers to help with some of the larger furniture, right? Perhaps one of them had gone the extra mile and had made the bed for him. It was just good customer service. The twist of shock had morphed itself into appreciation for an assumed act of kindness. David’s frown, in turn, crooked itself into a grin. That was one less thing to do later. He rummaged around his bags until he found some pajamas. After a well deserved and decidedly very warm shower, he retired to his bed. All concerns were dropped as soon as his head hit the pillow. Funny enough, he could swear he had a dream about something waiting at the window, but it was gone in a flash.

 

He just needed to get used to the new place was all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long ;w; I included a little doodle to maybe make up for the wait. I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and thank u for reading! I really appreciate all of the super nice comments y'all have been leaving <3 <3


End file.
